Anyone Else...
 

reluctant to keep following Lindsey as an artist following Ken Callait's book?

Sorry I forgot to introduce myself. I've been lurking here the last couple of months but never bothered to register till now. As you can tell from my name I'm a huge fan of the Peter Green Era.

I used to be dismissive of the Rumours lineup years ago. Cause my musical tastes tended to be more Alternative, Post Punk Art rock stuff like My Bloody Valentine, Roxy Music, X, Public Image Limited. And then years ago I got into Power Pop like Big Star Raspberries and The Beach Boys.

It wasnt until hearing Tusk I became a fan of the Stevie Lindsey lineup. I can appreciate Rumours and self-titled album now. Although I'm majorly burnt out on those two because of radio, grocery stores playing them to death. And I loved Lindsey's solo stuff.

Anyway, getting back to what I was saying. I read Carol Anne's book and thought it had too many holes in it for her accusations of Lindsey's to be true. Then reading Ken's book, he talks about Lindsey getting mad and choking him. He also discusses how another girlfriend beside Carol accused Lindsey of hitting her.

To be fair I guess, Lindsey was doing lots of coke at that time into the 80's. From what I've seen with my family members abuse. coke can ramp you up. Make you irritable easily and more violence prone. And in Anne Heche's book she never mentioned any physical abuse form Lindsey. So I'm pretty sure he was clean the time he dated Anne.

So, a lot of the physical abuse could have been induced from drugs. I just dont know anymore. If Ken's saying abuse took place, I'm inclined to believe him. I dont think he has any reason to lie.

I'm lost. Even if it was brought on by drug abuse, I'm not sure I can behind someone who hits women. I understand musicians are human. I look the other way most of the time when it comes to minor indiscretions. I love Bob Dylan and Bruce, but they are/were huge womanizers. I dont care about that cause most musicians are.

The only thing that can stop me from being a fan is spousal/child abuse. I stopped liking John Lennon when I found out he severely verbally abused Julian.

Should we look the other way and keep being fans of Lindsey if his physical abuse was in the past and induced by major drug abuse? I guess I need some perspective.

Personally, I think Lindsey is a changed man these days. He's settled down, married, had children, which I think has mellowed him. I also think he's been through a lot of therapy (just an idea I get from some of the things he says), that most likely addressed his rage issues.

There is never an excuse for abuse, but it was a much different time for Lindsey in the late 70s/early 80s. He had extreme pressure on him to produce hits for Fleetwood Mac, there was a lot of personal turmoil from the imploding of all of the relationships in the band, he was drinking a lot and doing cocaine. I'm sure all of that exacerbated any rage issues he already had. I think he's done a lot of work on himself since then to overcome these issues and change. He certainly seems happy these days and his family life seems to have been very calming and good for him.

GreenMagic - sorry if I sound unwelcoming to a new member, but I have to ask if you joined The Ledge merely to whip up another Lindsey bashing????

Did you think we didn't already know about this stuff? That it hasn't already been discussed to death?

Anyway, you will see from Lindsey's forum that his fans remain true and loyal to him - 'nuff said.

If the allegations are true, then I do not respect that version of Lindsey as a man, but that isn't going to stop me from respecting him as an artist. And likewise, I respect him as a person presently (as much as one can respect someone they have never met) because I think that it's clear that whatever happened in the past is in fact in the past, and he's definitely a very different character who has done a lot of work on themselves.

So, in short, no, it isn't going to stop me from following him. I'm not going to excuse his past behavior, but I do not think the Lindsey of yore is the Lindsey of today (no matter how little Stevie thinks they've both changed :lol:) so it doesn't affect my perception of his work.

Don't forget, Mick Fleetwood's book also chronicles Lindsey's violence towards women... even John McVie spoke of these incidents in on camera interviews. So it's not just Carol Ann Harris, Ken Caillat, and Stevie Nicks who have spoken openly about this subject.

For what it's worth, I think Lindsey is still very high strung, but it would seem his violent outbursts have ended. I'd point to his no longer using hardcore drugs, maturing, and becoming a husband and father. I don't think he's that insecure, tortured young man anymore. If I believed for an instant Lindsey was a wifebeater, I can assure you I would not spend my money on his albums or concerts.

Oh, there's no doubt in my mind that Lindsey was abusive to Carol Ann and probably others. He's probably reformed after getting off drugs and doing a lot of therapy, but that doesn't undo the past, and I absolutely find it troubling.

Personally, I can separate that from the music and consider myself a huge fan. I understand why others may not. This one is a personal call.

@McTrouble -

I'm not trying to stir up any trouble. I'm a big fan of Lindsey's. I just wanted some perspectives, because I was feeling uneasy about listening to his music after learning that.

I just read Ken's book day before yesterday. So it came as an honest shock. I've never read Fleetwood's book as it is out of print. Also, I've never seen any interview with John McVie or Stevie discussing it.

I just needed some opinions. I usually look the other way when artists make minor errors in their life. But physical abuse isnt minor, it's wrong. I guess I can forgive him that since drugs were influencing his bad behavior. And he seems to have gotten clean and have therapy.

But if it ever emerges one day he's pulling this stuff with his wife, count me out as a fan. I do think he cleaned his act up.

So you all's opinions were helpful. And that in essence is what I was looking for. :woohoo:

At this point, all we really have are anecdotes, albeit, a number of anecdotes from a number of different people that, in their totality, appear to paint the picture of a man with anger management issues and a history of physical violence. However, there is no actual, tangible evidence that any of these episodes really occurred. The listener/reader is left to his/her own conclusions based on the information presented.

I would like to think that Lindsey's infractions have been grossly exaggerated for the sake of selling books. Maybe it's just me, but I have a hard time believing that slight Lindsey, perhaps 135 pounds soaking wet during the Rumours era, would have had the audacity to try and choke another man. And the mental image of scrawny Lindsey chasing (as per Mick's book) Stevie around the block, a platformed blur of hair and chiffon, seems downright comical despite the very serious undertones of the altercation. Perhaps we would be less forgiving if these stories were being told about a much larger, stronger, intimidating man? When I picture Lindsey fighting physically, I can't help but assume that he would make lobster claws with his hands and try to peck his opponent into submission.

I don't think there has been an interview with John McVie discussing it. On Rock Family tree, John made a strangling gesture right in the context of Stevie saying she ran across the room and grabbed Lindsey. I think he might have been referring to what Stevie said she did.

Stevie has discussed getting into an argument with Lindsey when he said he was leaving FM. The whole band was inside Christine's house. She says she jumped up and grabbed him and then he chased her outside, threw her over the hood of a car and she thought he was going to kill her, until their managers separated them. Based on the chronology in the interview the band did in the nineties, John seemed to have caught the first part of the fight and it looks like he was talking about Stevie grabbing Lindsey when he described someone (John doesn't say who) making a strangling gesture.

Rock Family Trees is on Youtube.

Stevie says: -

John McVie:

Johh makes that gesture right after Stevie talks about grabbing Lindsey. Stevie finishes her story:

Then John mentions Lindsey for the first time while describing the fight. He says, he told Lindsey, "Why don't you just leave?" The joke being that he meant for Lindsey to leave the room, not the band.


Michele

Viv, this is a discussion forum, obviously for both pro and con.

I realize that you worship the ground he walks on, but you shouldn't be so defensive of him, IMHO. Ignore the thread, if it drives you batty!:lol::wavey::xoxo:

Stevie herself is tiny - 5'1", as I'm sure we all know. So the fact that Lindsey is slender/lean doesn't do anything water down the allegations, in my mind. Lindsey's much larger than she.... but regardless, that's all beside the point, anyway. It doesn't matter how large the attacker is... the point is, they are attacking someone. I personally don't think there's anything necessarily comical about ANYONE seriously seeking out to harm someone physically (or mentally, emotionally, etc for that matter), whether they're a 12 year old girl or a 30 year old man.

And if he had the audacity, the way it's described, Ken and Lindsey weren't next to each other. It wasn't like Lindsey made a quick gesture, a sudden strangle. Lindsey got irate because Ken did what Lindsey asked him to do and erased a tape and, upon learning this, then came from another room to choke Ken. It sounds like Ken had plenty of time to stop or avoid him if it was really a physical assault.

Michele

The only thing that troubles me about the accusations is Mick and John knowing about it.

I understand to maintain peace in a band you stay out of each other's personal lives. (EX: The Beatles never vocally passed Judgement on John when he divorced Cyn. Even though privately they thought it was crappy the way he handled the divorce)

Hypothetically, if I am in a band, I stay out of a fellow band mate's perosnal life. But when I see or get strong evidence of him being physically abusive to people, there will be a talk or something worse.

Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stone Age kicked out a long time band member when he had irefutable evidence the dude was beating his girlfriend. Josh gets the highest respect from me for doing that. I understand being loyalty to friends.

But loyalty can only go so far if the person is harming other people. As stated previously, I would've confront Lindsey about it. Told him to clean his act up or he's history.

I understand John and Mick need to make a living. But your financial needs should never overtake your conscience. So if they really did know about Lindsey pulling that stuff at the time, they lose a lot of respect from me.

To reassure, I'm fine with Lindsey now. He's clean and worked on himself. Based on that effort I can forgive him for past transgressions. But Mick and John who are the big decision makers in the band abetting Lindsey's behavior at the time? I'm not so sure...

I'm not sure Mick and John especially were really in the position to be calling anyone out on anything at that point. Haven't we heard from a number of sources that John McVie was a mean drunk?

John yes, but no one has ever indicated that Mick has ever done anything physical at all. I get the impression that Mick was a big, gangly teddy bear.

Michele